While formatting works fine, sys'ing (system transfer using sys.com C:) using the Trantor 130B in any XT clone (not on ATs where it works fine) results in the IBM/MS bios files (ibmbio/ibmdos/io.sys/msdos.sys) not being copied correctly or copied with 0 bytes.

As far as I remember, in MS-DOS 1, 2 and 3 SYS needed an empty disk to work. MS-DOS 4 needed a few sectors free at the beginning of the disk or it wouldn't work (so, in practice, it was the same as needing a completely empty disk). In DOS 5 an 6, SYS could work in any disk (if it had enough free space).